Following a five week comedy workshop hosted by the Gaiety School of Acting, Tom finally made his stand up debut on Monday last.

It wasn't an easy road.  Tom said it the most nerve-racking thing he ever did, and he didn't always put in the homework.

Comedian Sharon Mannion prepared Tom and the other budding comics for the finale of the course, when each of them had to perform a seven minute stand up show in front of an audience.

WEEK 1

The class meets mentor Sharon Mannion.

WEEK 2

Tom starts to doubt his decision in taking the course. His classmates offer feedback on his comedy, and it isn't all good.

WEEK 3

Tom has a breakthrough and starts to enjoy the course, but is there any improvement at the half-way point?

WEEK 4

Week 4 and still no homework from Tom - but a clear improvement from him and the rest of the group.

THE FINALE

It's time to assess how well Tom and his classmates performed at the comedy showcase finale. He's joined in studio by comedians Karl Spain, Eleanor Tiernan, Sharon Mannion and classmate Anne Marie Murphy. You can hear the discussion and clips of Tom's performance below.

Photo credit: Tom Maher for the Gaiety School of Acting

The Tom Dunne Show on Newstalk - Mon - Thur from 10pm